Indicating mechanism.



A. A. KREUTER & E. D. DENNIS.

INDIGATING MEGHANISM.

APgLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 5, 1913.

Patented June 30, 1914.

LLS.

2 SHEETS-BHEET 1.

J9 zz Witnesses Attorneys.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH C0..WASH1NGTON, D. C.

A. A. KREUTER & E. D. DENNIS.

INDIGATING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1913.

11 01,6361, Patented June 30,1914..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

STATES PATENT @FFifQlfie ALBERT A. KRETER AND EDWARD D. DENNIS, OF GLYMOUTH, VJ'SCQNSIN.

y INDICATING MECHANISM.

Application led .T une 5, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ALBERT A. KREUTER and EDWARD D. DENNIS, citizens of the United States, residing at Plymouth, in the county of Sheboygan, State of W'isconsln, have invented a new and useful Indicating Mechanism, of which the following 1s a specification.

rlhe present invention relates to improvements in indicating mechanisms, the particular mechanism herein set forth being an improvement upon the indicating mechanism shown and described in application for indicating mechanism filed May 31, 1912, Serial No. 700,896, patented February 25, 1913, No. 1,054,185, one object of the present invention being the provision of a transmitting mechanism, whereby two sign carrying mechanisms are controlled simultaneously, for exhibiting a sign upon the respective opposite sides of a casing so that the present indicating mechanism may be positioned centrally of a car and be observable from either end thereof, and the indicating mechanism may be positioned in any desired place so that the signs thereof may be seen more easily.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an indicating mechanism in which two sign carrying tapes are provided, and four main rolls, two of the rolls being the drive rolls, which control the operation of the other rolls, so that the drive rolls at one time are the control rolls when the tapes are being moved in one did rection, the other rolls being the control rolls when the tapes are moved in the opposite direction.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, thev invention resides in the combination and arrangement of lparts and in the details of construction hereinafter describedl and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

ln the drawings-Figure 1 is a sectional view through the indicator casing showing the complete mechanism from the operating side thereof.l Fig. 2 is a similar view from the opposite side thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the casing in section with the adjacent portions of the two upper rolls and operating mechanism in elevation. Fig. i

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 30, 191A..

Serial No. 771,932.

is an enlarged detail view showing the apparatus employing gears instead of sprocket chains as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view to Fig. 3 of the gear mechanism as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing a modified mechanism for controlling the pivoted rack for operating the main controlling rollers.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 thereof, the numeral 1 designates the main casing, which is made rectangular in form, and is constructed to provide the main walls 2-2, each of which is provided, as shown, with the exhibiting apertures 8-3, so that a portion of the respective sign carrying tapes 14k-14 will be exhibited at all times, the tape 14- through the upper exhibiting apertures 3 and the tape 14 through the lower exhibiting apertures 3. rllhis arrangement provides a means, whereby the exhibited signs are readily seen when the casing 1 is positioned centrally of a car, as is preferred. The hinged covers 3a are employed to close one aperture at a time and to alternate as shown. The tapes 14-14 are reversible containing signs on both surfaces.

In the supporting framework S carried by the casing 1 therewithin, are journaled `the two drive shafts i and 5, said shafts being disposed, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, directly above each other and in parallel, while disposed within the same framework to one side and parallel therewith, are the auxiliary shafts 6 and .7, the shafts 4E and 6 being connected for movement in unison through the sprockets 8 and 10 and the sprocket chain 9, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, while the shafts 5 and 7 are connected so that the shaft 5 will drive the shaft 7 by means of the sprockets 11 and 13 and the sprocket chain 12. By this means as the shaft i is operated, to move in the direction of the spear, as indicated in Fig. 1, the shaft 6 will be moved in the direction of the spear, thus causing the sign carrying tape 14 to be moved from right to left, as viewed in Fig. 1, while the sign carrying tape 14 will be moved from left to right, both tapes being moved in unison by the single manipulation of the shaft A due to the operation of the controlling mechanism as particularly set forth in the before mentioned application and which is shown operably connected in the present device, as the preferred means When the shaft 5 is the drive shaft, the same will be rotated in the direction of the arrows Fig. 1, and consequently through the chain 12 operate the shaft 7 so that the sign carrying tape 14 will be moved from the right to the left while the sign carrying tape 14 will be moved from the left to the right,- thus reversing the movements of the tapes as regards their control movement due to the operation ofthe shaft 4.

The respective shafts 4, 5, 6 and 7 are provided with the respective tape carrying rolls 15, 17, 18 and 16, respectively, the rollers 15 and 16 being paired to control the sign carrying tape 14, while the rollers 17 and 18 are paired to carry the sign carrying tape 14. Keyed upon the respective shafts 4 and 5 are the respective ratchet wheels 19 and 20, which are disposed to be operated one at a time by means of the pivoted rack bar 21, which is carried through the pivoted link 23 and the operating link 24 by the sleeve 22, said sleeve 22 being disposed for sliding movement upon the oscillatory carrying rod or bar 25 disposed centrally Vof the casing 1 at one end thereof, and as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. A knob 25 is provided upon the exterior end of the bar 25, so that said bar may be oscillated upon its axis to present the pivoted rack bar 21 to either one of the pinions 19 or 20 as desired. A spring L26 is disposed to normally hold the sleeve 22 in the position, as shown in Fig. 1, so that when the cord 27 is pulled upon, the sleeve 22 will be moved from right to left causing the rack bar 21 to engage either one of the ratchet wheels 19 or '2O to consequently operate the respective shafts 4 and 5 and consequently control the movement of the respective sign carrying tapes 14 and 14, asl above described. The cord 27 is guided over' the sheave 28, and is controlled by any mechanism disposed within the car either for automatic operation or for manual operation as may be desired. In order to prevent the mechanism from rotating after the bar 21 has been released andhas moved from left to right by means of the spring 2,6, and thus to maintain the respective tapes 14 and 14 in the proper exhibiting position, the adjusting carrying bolt 39 having the fa'diust-V ing screw 38 and carrying the spring tensioned brake arms 40-'40, is provided.

shown inFigs. 4 and 5, the shafts 4 and 5, and 6 and 7 which eorrespondto the shafts 4, 5, 6 and 7 as heretofore described, are provided with gearing instead of chains and sprockets for control as before described. In this instance, the shaft 4 is provided with thel gear 29, and transmits motion "33, which are connected to the two intermediate gears 30, so that the shaft 5v when operated will control the operation of the shaft 7, thus causing the respective tapesto be moved in the upper part of the casing from the left to the right while in the lower part `of the casing from right to left. From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, it is evident that the vrespective shafts 4-4 and 5 5 are the main operating shafts, and that through the sprocket chain or the gear mechanism the re'- spective shafts controlling the sign tapes' 14 andY 14 are operated to move the tapes in the desired direction so that the respective tapes are operated simultaneously to present one sign at a time to the respective ap` ertures 3-3, so that a sign is exhibited upon two sides of the casing, all of the signs being kept in 'step or synchronism by the present'mechanism so that two similar signs are exhibited simultaneously through the particular operating mechanism as set forth in vthe before mentioned application.

In the structure shown in Fig. 6, the rack 21 is slightly modified, and has journaled in the end 35 thereof, the anti-frictional roller 36, whichis disposed at the proper time to ride upon the cam face or tracks l37e-357 to thus assist in preventing the too rigid engagementbf the rack bar with the respective selected ratchet wheel 19 or 20 the pull upon the cord 27 being th'us limited. to a certain extenty 'so that the main thrust will be carried b'y thefrollerr 36 and the contacted surface.- By this means any undue wear Iupon the toothed portions and the bearings of the respective shafts is avoided.

What is claimed is': n

1. An indicating mechanism, including a casing having sign exhibiting portions upon opposite sides, one of said portions being adjacent the upper edge of the side while the other is adjacent the lower edge of the opposite side, two parallel superposed drive shafts journalecl in the casing,'one of said drive'- shafts being adjacent tothe upper ob servation portion of one side and the other below and in line with the other observation portion of the casing, two parallel superposed auxiliary shafts journaled in the casing and in parallel With the drive shafts, four rollers one keyed upon each of the respective drive and auxiliary shafts, two sign carrying tapes one connected to the upper drive roller and the upper auxiliary roller, and the other connected to the lower drive roller and the lower auxiliary roller, a transmitting mechanism connected to the upper drive roller and the lower auxiliary roller, a second transmitting mechanism connected to the lower drive ro-ller and the upper auxiliary roller, and a selective means for operating either one of the drive shafts at a time and consequently the auxiliary roller controlled thereby.

2. An indicating mechanism, including two parallel drive shafts, a sign exhibiting mechanism controlled thereby, an oscillatory bar mounted between and at right angles to the drive shafts, a short tube mounted slidably upon the bar, a rack bar pivotally connected to the tube for placement in engagement with one drive shaft at a time, a spring for normally holding the short tube in inactive position, means for oscillating the bar to place the rack bar in operative relation to either drive shaft, manually operated means for operating the short tube against the tension of the spring to cause the rack bar to rotate the selected shaft, and cooperative means carried by the rack bar and in the path thereof to limit the engagement of the rack bar with the shaft.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto alflxed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT A. KREUTER. EDWARD DADENNIS.

`Witnessesz H. J. RooNEY, C. 0. DAHLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

